what is qualitive data

Qualitative data is a type of data that describes qualities or characteristics and cannot be counted or easily expressed using numbers. It is collected through methods such as questionnaires, interviews, or observation, and frequently appears in narrative form. Qualitative data sources include interview transcripts, videos of social interactions, notes, verbal reports, and artifacts such as books or works of art. Qualitative data may be difficult to precisely measure and analyze, but it can be examined for patterns or meaning through the use of coding. Qualitative data analysis can be characterized as being either deductive or inductive. Qualitative data is important in determining the frequency of traits or characteristics, and it allows researchers to form parameters through which larger data sets can be observed. Qualitative data and methods may be used more frequently in humanities or social science research and may be collected in descriptive studies.